It remains one of the most enduring murder cases from the past 160 years.
In July 1857, 22-year-old Glasgow woman Madeleine Smith was charged with murdering her lover with arsenic.
At her trial in Edinburgh, Victorian Scotland was scandalised with newspaper accounts of sex, blackmail, poison and death.
Yet the young and attractive Miss Smith walked free after a verdict of “not proven”.
Even today historians are split as to whether she was framed, or got away with the murder of Emile L’Angelier.
In the 19th century, arsenic was implicated in a third of all cases involving the administering of a toxic substance. Half an ounce – enough to kill 50 people – cost just one penny.
Yet many arsenic-related fatalities came about through accidental contact.
The 20th most common element in the Earth’s crust and a by-product of mining for metals such as copper, gold and zinc, arsenic was readily available in an array of forms from flypaper to cosmetics. It was used to make the green colour of ladies’ dresses and wallpaper, and some doctors even prescribed it as a cure for everything from morning sickness to rheumatism.
But if the tasteless, odourless substance was consumed, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, the consequences could be catastrophic. It was this realisation that eventually led to the Arsenic Act of 1851 which regulated its sale, making it much less available.
In the fictional world, whodunit expert Agatha Christie used poison to bump off her characters more often than any other murder method.
And it’s the history and science of poison which will be explored by scientist, author and Agatha Christie fan Dr Kathryn Harkup when she delivers a talk in the atmospheric setting of Dundee Rep’s specially set-up ‘Witness for the Prosecution’ courtroom on March 7.
The author of the book ‘A is for Arsenic’ will discuss the poisons murderers used in the 19th century and how they killed.
“If a sizeable amount of arsenic enters the body a lethal dose is 200mg or just one fifth of a gram then the results will be catastrophic,“ Dr Kathryn told The Courier from her base in Guildford, Surrey.
“Within 15 minutes the victim will projectile vomit, have explosive diarrhoea, severe stomach cramps and pains in their legs. It might seem like gastroenteritis at first. But if you get a massive dose it could take 12 hours to die, not the few seconds often shown in TV dramas! All it would take is a pinch dropped in someone’s food.”
From a scientific perspective there’s a simple explanation. Arsenic has a strong affinity to sulphur, which makes up a significant part of enzymes within the human body. Arsenic molecules will stick fast, and this stops the enzymes from working.
But it’s the ability to show people that science can be found in the most unexpected places and that looking at a subject from a scientific point of view makes it more, not less, interesting, which drives her on.
Dr Kathryn trained as a chemist in York and Nottingham, where she studied for a PhD. She had more knowledge of phosphines than she cares to remember. “Anything you want to know about the effect of ring size on coupling constants, just ask! “ she laughed.
She flirted with the idea of research as a postdoc at York before realising talking about and demonstrating science appealed more than hours slaving over a hot fume hood.
For six years she ran the outreach in engineering, computing, physics and maths at the University of Surrey as well as being the co-organiser of a Science Circus and doing art/science collaborations.
She now works as a freelance science communicator delivering talks and workshops on the quirky side of science from poisons, to vampires. And she hopes it can help inspire a whole new generation of young scientists.
She added: “Science is often perceived as very abstract which doesn’t relate to everyday life. At the end of the day science is just another way of analysing a problem and finding a solution. It’s a method you can apply to everything. So I try and pick things that people are interested in, whether it’s crime, poison or vampires.
“Teenagers tend to love things that are disgusting and dangerous. But I’ll talk to anyone about science from 10 upwards. It needs to be the younger the better if you want to encourage kids. Primary school age children are so enthusiastic about everything, so if you can tap into that and overcome the mentality that ‘science is difficult’, that science is cool, then long may that continue.”
* A is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie takes place at Dundee Rep on Monday March 7 from 7pm – 8pm. The event, part of Dundee University’s Dundee Women in Science Festival, is in partnership with Dundee Rep, part of their Witness for the Prosecution Season.
For ticket information go to www.dundeerep.co.uk